light up

phrasal verb

1

of a light : to become lit : to begin shining

All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.

—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasure

His eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.

2

informal, of a telephone : to show a light indicating that someone is calling

When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.

3

informal : to light a cigarette

I can't wait to light up after work.

Examples of light up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Samantha da Silva, speech language pathologist at the hospital, said patients light up when Robin comes into their room and not only remembers their names but their favorite music. —Hallie Golden, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025

From late September through early November the Smoky Mountains light up with color as the leaves change, and the area celebrates in style. —Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2025

These storms trigger interactions between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the sun, resulting in the stunning colors that light up the sky. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025

The northern lights could light up the skies across several parts of the United States on Monday due to a geomagnetic storm, according to space and weather experts. —Megan Forrester, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for light up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup